40-50 degrees?

[cornfedkiller]

I feel kind of dumb asking this, but I've never really camped in "mild" weather before, only when it was in the 20s or colder, so it was pretty easy to know what to sleep in then...

But I'm going on an elk hunt this September and the historical weather data for the area shows lows at night anywhere from 54 to 25, with probably 42-43 being the most common.. what do you guys sleep in when its those temps? A lightweight quilt? Down blanket? Just your clothes?

I will have a 15 degree bag (since that's what I need more the majority of my other hunts).. can I use that and just leave it unzipped, or will I sweat my ass off?

 

[*zap*]

Unzip bag all the way and use it as a quilt rather than get in it.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Unzip bag all the way and use it as a quilt rather than get in it.

That's what I do.

 

[mtwarden]

I have a 50 degree quilt but it's been relegated to supplementing a warmer bag, emergency bag in a day pack and can be worn like a poncho when glassing.

I tried it out once on it's own, when expected temps were going to be in the mid 40's- I froze my a$$ that night bad, waking to ice in my water bottle.

If you're fairly confident that temps will be in the 40's and you don't want to use your 15 degree, buy a 30 degree bag/quilt. Expected temperatures and averages are often not what's encountered

 

[2muchhp]

Woobie works for me. I use that thing constantly, even camping in the backyard with the grandkids.

 

[KyleR1985]

If I have up to the hour weather and know it won’t be below freezing, I have camped with my big Agnes McKinnis liner bag, a cheap down blanket off Amazon, and use my puffy as a pillow where the hood goes on my head too.

I’ve had an occasion where I needed to wake up and put the puffy on fully to be warm.

I could probably use that with a tight to ground pitch below freezing. But if it’s unknown, im bringing my 20* setup.

Can and have to make for two different types of trips.

Safest bet - have more bag than needed and vent.

 

[5MilesBack]

Even my mid summer mountain setup starts with my 0 degree down quilt on my insulated Xtherm when packing in. I'd stick with your 15 degree bag. I'd much rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Agree with others about unzipping your current bag.

for slightly warmer temps, I have a snugpak jungle bag in my rotation. It has been good to me from the Grand Canyon to some warm nights in the sierras from the 70s down into the 40s With some layering. It isn’t super light but for $65 it is fairly cheap.

 

[Dave0317]

Have you been to the area during that time of year before? How close and at what elevation is the weather data you are looking at?

If you are using weather from a nearby town at 6,000 or 7,000 feet, and then you go camp at 10,500 feet, you can expect several degrees cooler overnight temps. I’ve seen a range of exact measurements, but I have found about 4 degrees per 1000 feet is usually close.

So, for example, you pull weather from a station at 6,000 feet, and then go camp at 10,000. The forecast was 32 degrees overnight. At a 4,000 foot difference, I would expect a 16 degree overnight temp.

Others please chime in if there are more accurate was to predict that.

 

[mtwarden]

^ Meteoblue or NOAA spot forecast, for more accurate forecasting to the actual site you’re going to be. For historical data, look for a nearby snowtel site (if none nearby, something at a similar elevation)

 

[kpk]

I use my 15 degree bag unzipped like a blanket.